The present invention relates to a plaything employed indoors for a baby, and more specifically, it relates to a plaything capable of varying the form thereof in response to growth of the baby.
For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-192101 discloses a plaything employed indoors for a baby in general. Referring to FIG. 6, this plaything 200 comprises arcuate frame members 210 and 211, employed to cover a baby lying in bed, having upper end portions detachable from each other. Base members 212 and 213 couple the respective lower end portions of the frame members 210 and 211 with each other. Coupling members 214 and 215 are provided between the frame members 210 and 211. It is possible to amuse the baby nestling down in bed by hanging toys, dolls or the like on the frame members 210 and 211 or the coupling members 214 and 215 of the plaything 200 having such a structure.
Such a plaything is preferably employed for hanging toys or the like made of soft materials when the baby is still newborn, and preferably employed for hanging toys having some works, sounding toys or the like when the baby is in its infancy. When the baby is in its toddlerhood, it can practice standing up by holding on to the plaything employed for hanging toys or the like.
When the baby grows up to a certain age, the plaything employed in its infancy is no longer used. Consequently, this plaything is stowed away in a closet, or scrapped. However, this plaything symbolizes the possessor""s remembrance of his/her childhood, i.e. the cerebral growth period when he/she enjoyed playing with the parents, and hence he/she can remember the pure love given by the parents and develop a warm heart by occasionally seeing or touching the plaything after growing up and recalling that he/she enjoyed playing with the parents. Further, the plaything can conceivably provide a stimulus effective for the growth of a human, particularly for the growth of the brain.
The present invention aims at providing a plaything having a structure capable of varying the form thereof to be keepable at hand after the growth of a baby so that the possessor can preserve the plaything employed in his/her infancy all his/her life long.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, the plaything according to the present invention, which is a plaything for hanging play members thereon, comprises first and second side supports oppositely arranged on both sides at a prescribed interval for forming side surfaces and at least two hanger bars provided coupling the aforementioned first side support and the aforementioned second side support with each other for hanging the aforementioned play members thereon.
When this plaything is employed to cover a baby lying in bed, the baby that cannot move around on its own can enjoy playing with the hung play members along with its parents who are affectionate toward it.
In the aforementioned plaything, the aforementioned first and second side supports preferably have upwardly convexed arcuate shapes. In the aforementioned plaything, further, the aforementioned hanger bars are preferably provided to be different in vertical position from each other. According to this structure, the vertical positions of the hanger bars so vary that the same can stimulate the playful mind of the baby and exert good influence on the growth of the brain.
The aforementioned plaything preferably includes first and second hanger bars coupling regions of the aforementioned first side support and the aforementioned second side support close to upper portions with each other and third and fourth hanger bars coupling the aforementioned first side support and the aforementioned second side support with each other on positions downward and outward beyond positions mounted with the aforementioned first and second hanger bars. According to this structure, positions of hung play members differ from each other while the play members are hung on four portions in plane, to be capable of further prompting the curiosity of the baby.
In the aforementioned plaything, the aforementioned hanger bars are preferably detachably provided with respect to the aforementioned first and second side supports. Further, the aforementioned plaything preferably further comprises a strip member to be hung on at least two hanger bars selected from the aforementioned hanger bars for supplying this plaything with the form of a magazine rack or a chair.
According to this structure, the possessor can use the plaything symbolizing the remembrance of his/her childhood, i.e. the cerebral growth period when he/she enjoyed playing with the parents, in the form of a magazine rack or a chair also after growing up, whereby he/she can keep this plaything at hand for occasionally seeing or touching this plaything. Consequently, the possessor can remember the pure love given by the parents and develop a warm heart by occasionally recalling that he/she enjoyed playing with the parents. Further, the plaything can provide an effective stimulus to the possessor in the process of growing up to an adult, particularly in the process of the cerebral growth. In addition, the possessor can preserve the plaything employed in his/her infancy all his/her life long.